Don’t get scammed, change your password now

Online passwords are a fickle beast, usually typed incorrectly so many times that it locks you out of your program.

However, changing your password to protect your financial and personal information is crucial to avoid being caught in a scam, even if it means you mess it up a few times after.

This Thursday, March 15, during National Password Day the Better Business Bureaus (BBB) across Canada are reminding residents to change your passwords online at least three times a year.

This day coincides with BBB’s National Top 10 Scams and Competition Bureau of Canada’s Fraud Prevention Month – both launched in March.

Jeanette Jackson, director of communications and strategic partnerships for BBB, says that studies are now showing that by the end of the decade the average person will have more than 200 online accounts and subscriptions that contain sensitive information.

“While most of those won’t be used very much, information such as passwords, emails and even credit card data is still there.”

Jackson is suggesting that Canadians take 30 minutes on Thursday to update passwords for bank accounts, social networks, email accounts and even point-of-sale (POS) equipment.